Internal parasites can be a major problem for producers. With parasites developing resistance to all dewormers and more farmers producing livestock by “natural” methods, there is interest in looking for alternative ways to managing parasites problems.

Determining when apples are ready to be harvested can be tricky. You need to know the variety of the apple and its approximate harvest date. These dates vary each year with fluctuations in blooming rates, degree days and rainfall. If you’re growing your own apples, perhaps the best way to tell if they are ripe is to taste a couple. If they taste great, go for it. Another great way to judge if an apple variety is ready is to check seed color. Seeds will go from white to brown as the fruit ripens. When picking, simply lift the apple up. It should just snap off into your hand.

Wild (lowbush) blueberries have always called New Hampshire home. These small, flavor andantioxidant packed fruits are common in abandoned fields, in succession forests, on mountaintops, andalong roadsides.

Choke cherry identification is important for peach and sweet cherry growers. This is because choke cherry (Prunus virginiana L.) is important in spreading a fatal disease of peach and sweet cherry trees, called X-disease.

Late blight is caused by a fungus (Phytophthora intestans); in Latin the name means “plantdestroyer” which is certainly what this fungus does to tomato and potato plants.Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for control although fungicides can be appliedpreventatively before symptoms appear. Below are some tips to help you prevent late blightin the future.

Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is a vinegar gnat that first turned up in New Hampshire late in the summer of 2011. It attacks ripe and ripening fruit of brambles (raspberry & blackberry), strawberry, blueberry, grape, cherry, plum and peach, plus a number of wild berries. If you wish to protect your fruit from becoming infested, it is critical to set up traps for the insects, and to monitor those traps regularly.

Growing and eating sprouts can be done at home any time of the year. The custom of sprouting beans is more than twice as old as the Wall of China. Widely practiced in far eastern countries, a Chinese emperor recorded the use of health-giving sprouts in 2439 BC. Today, with the exception of natural or health food advocates, the majority of Americans are either unfamiliar with sprouts or are exposed to them only through Chinese cuisine. This is a shame because the nutritional quality of the proteins found in legumes and grains is greatly improved during sprouting.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) arose as an alternative to the conventional techniques growers were using to handle pest problems in the 1960’s and 1970’s. In New Hampshire sweet corn fields, “conventional techniques” usually were to apply chemical insecticides to the sweet corn, either on a calendar basis, or automatically based on growth stage. As concerns rose about environmental and off-target effects of insecticides, and increasing insecticide costs, UNH Cooperative Extension offered an alternative approach: IPM.

You can reduce or eliminate many problems by improving the plant growing environment and your gardening skills. The following list of physiological disorders represent some of the more common tomato problems.

New Hampshire farmers and landowners have always been independent, self-reliant and inventive. We offer this Institute because we believe outreach education is the best way to reach these entrepreneurs and help strengthen the economic viability of New Hampshire’s agricultural and natural resource businesses.

Connect with a wide variety of advisors and technical experts who can help you turn your business dream into a reality

Understand the interrelationships among human, biological, and financial resources in creating a successful business

Understand how government agencies and financial institutions work with new business ventures

Animal manures and animal manure-based composts are rich in plant nutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) and provide organic matter that conditions the soil, so they make excellent soil amendments for the home gardener. However, it is important to use them effectively and safely.

Lead is a naturally occurring element that is present in all soils at very low concentrations of less than 50 parts per million (ppm). Elevated levels of lead in the soil are usually due to contamination.

Many rhododendrons show signs of winter injury each spring. Symptoms range frombrowning or "burning" of the leaf margins or midrib to desiccation of the smaller twigs, oreven death of the entire plant. Injury is most noticeable on branches that were notburied under the snow, on plants growing in exposed locations, and on maturespecimens.

Now that spring is almost here, your houseplants should begin to perk up, sending outnew growth under the influence of longer days and more intense sunlight. It’s a greattime to shift those that are pot-bound into larger containers if your plants aren’t in bloomor ailing.

Several species of insects invade our homes in the fall and remain through the winter, often hidden inside walls. When temperatures rise in the spring, they appear again, this time trying to get out. During the winter they just wait—for spring.

The soil testing lab takes your soil sample and runs a small portion of the sample through a series of sophisticated test equipment. The results provide a chemical inventory of the soil – clues as to the quantity of nutrients or elements in the soil and their availability for plant growth.

27 plant species are currently prohibited from sale, transport, distribution, propagation or transplantation in New Hampshire including burning bush, Japanese barberry and Norway maple (see entire list appended to this fact sheet). This publication suggests alternative landscape plants for New Hampshire.

Crabapples are a mainstay of our landscape palette in New England. Their beautiful bloom, small stature, and attractive fruit give them year-round interest…unless they are devastated by disease! Crabapples are susceptible to four major diseases which can cause early defoliation, disfigurement and weakening of trees.

Recent nursery production research conducted in the Northeast has far reaching implications for the way trees and shrubs are grown, including plant health and quality, environmental impact and return on investment.

NH is facing a major threat to the health of our forest and landscape trees from exotic invasive insects. These invaders include the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), emerald ash borer (EAB), hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), and elongate hemlock scale (EHS). This guide helps growers and consumers become aware of which trees are susceptible to future infestation by these devastating insects and guides them in the selection of non-sussceptible landscape and street trees.

NH is facing a major threat to the health of our forest and landscape trees from exotic invasive insects. These invaders include the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), emerald ash borer (EAB), hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), and elongate hemlock scale (EHS). This guide helps growers and consumers become aware of which trees are susceptible to future infestation by these devastating insects and guides them in the selection of non-sussceptible landscape and street trees.

Maintaining Home Lawnsby John M. Roberts, Extension Specialist, TurfIs your home lawn as attractive as you would like it to be? If not, here is a maintenance calendar and a few tips at might be helpful.